Kaunas Hydroelectric Power Plant
Encyclopedia
Kaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, was completed in 1960. Its dam created the Kaunas Reservoir. Owned by Lietuvos Energija
Lietuvos Energija
Lietuvos Energija is the main power company in Lithuania. It owns the largest power plant in Lithuania Elektrėnai Power Plant and directly owns two largest hydroelectric plants in the country . It has also stake in the Klaipėda Geothermal Demonstration Plant...
, it operates in conjunction with the Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant
Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant
Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant is located near Kruonis, Lithuania, east of Kaunas. Its main purpose is to provide a spinning reserve of the power system, to regulate the load curve of the power system 24 hours a day. It operates in conjunction with the Kaunas Hydroelectric Power Plant...
.
The plant, which has a capacity of 100.8 megawatts, generated 316 gigawatt-hours of electricity in 2002. It supplies about 3% of the electrical demand in Lithuania.
A renovation was begun in 2005, with work to be performed in partnership with the multinational conglomerate Alstom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
. The first phase was completed in November 2008; completion is scheduled for the end of 2009.